


through a forest of thorns she went

by troublemaker (shoseilovemail)



Series: oh, magical love! [1]
Category: JO1 (Japan Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Based on Sleeping Beauty, F/F, Girls Kissing, Love Triangles, Rensei are royal siblings, kinda angsty but good end i promise, ruki is a PEASANT, shosei sleeps thru half the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26899939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shoseilovemail/pseuds/troublemaker
Summary: And those kisses, the ones they were able to share before everything went downhill, they're etched into Shion's mind like nothing else. It fills her with determination, the determination to bring Shosei back, because she wants to not only kiss her again, but see her smile, listen to her laugh. And gaze at the stars again.Shosei's been asleep for almost 3 months. Ruki can't save her, but Shion's determined to.
Relationships: Ohira Shosei/Shiroiwa Ruki, Ohira Shosei/Tsurubo Shion
Series: oh, magical love! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983736
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	through a forest of thorns she went

She's sleeping.

When Ruki reaches the bottom of the stairs, only then she lets out a deep sigh. Shosei's looked so ethereal, so beautiful, Ruki would've kissed her if they'd been alone. But there are watching eyes everywhere, and a simple servant can't be close to a princess. And especially not _in love_.

She shakes the thought off, holds her head up high and makes her way down the hall, heels clicking against the marble floor.

Ruki comes across Sukai who takes care of Shosei's flowers, and advises the younger girl to water them correctly this time. She wouldn't want the princess to wake up to withered roses. When she does, one day.

"Do you know why the princess is always asleep? ", Syoya asks while they fold clothes together. Ruki shakes her head, "I have no clue, I'm afraid. Did you ask the others if they've heard anything? "

"I did ", Syoya replies and puts another neatly-folded dress away. "But no one, really _no one_ knows. I mean, it's been almost 2 months. "

Ruki hums. It's so much of a mystery, people in other kingdoms where talking about it, she's heard. "And even Issei didn't pick up anything? "

"Nope ", Syoya sighs. "Guess we just gotta live with it. Although, I think someone said the princess was cursed or something... but magic? I don't know. "

"Yeah ", Ruki agrees. Witches have been erased from Earth about 2 centuries ago. Magic doesn't ( _shouldn't_ ) exist anymore.

At some point - Ruki's lost count of all the dresses and shirts they've folded - Sukai joins them, grumbling about how it's not her usual work and so on. Syoya reassures her that most of the work is done already, and reluctantly, Sukai starts folding, too.

Even though Sukai's supposed to be the gardener, every servant does kind of everything. There's just a lot to do, with 2 princesses in a giant castle for a kingdom of 4 thousand, and about 30 servants, excluding guards. There's just too much to do.

"I'd rather tend to those annoying flowers than this " Sukai grumbles. "They need water all the time. How'd they even grow so fast without water in the first place? "

That's another mystery of the castle; the thorn forest surrounding princess Shosei's tower. It's come out of literal nowhere; on the day the princess fell into that long, long sleep they just shot out of the ground. They've even broken through a window into her room, but strangely, near her presence, they bear flowers. Beautiful red roses. As red as her lips that day, as her cheeks and...

And there Ruki's mind trails off. She pulls herself back to reality, folds another pretty blue dress, and wonders if she could ever see Shosei in it.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts. Shion should've know, she was prepared for it, but this is her first time _actually_ going through that thorn forest. Where everything looked the same, grey green and full of pointed spikes.

But she knew that it wouldn't be easy beforehand, so she bites her teeth and makes her way through another bush. The thorns scratch her skirt and shirt, but it doesn't matter. As long as she can get to Shosei.

At some point she reaches a little clearing where she falls down, laying on flat the grass facing the sky with her eyes.

It reminds her of one night, where there wasn't a thorn forest here, she's met the princess at the foot of the tower and they sneaked away. They layed down at this exact spot, exchanging hushed whispers, pointing at the stars above.

"They're so beautiful ", Shosei's said. "Always, even at daytime. I wish I could be as beautiful as them. "

Shion's smiled, didn't say that _Shosei, you are prettier than every star in the entire galaxy_ , instead she opted to just admiring her beautiful features silently.

It was also under the stars that they've kissed for the first time, illuminated by their light. It was a short one, a bit reluctant and unsure, but many more followed after. Always watched by the stars.

And those kisses, the ones they were able to share before everything went downhill, they're etched into Shion's mind like nothing else. It fills her with determination, the determination to bring Shosei back, because she wants to not only kiss her again, but see her smile, listen to her laugh. And gaze at the stars again.

_It's a bright day. The sun shines down brilliantly from a sky with no clouds, and there's a nice breeze to go with it. A girl's running down the grass hill, blonde plaited hair and orange dress flowing in the wind. She's chasing after another one, dressed in a plain shirt with a grey skirt, and brown braided hair._

_Laughter is in the air._

_They chase each other down the hills, until the blonde catches up. They fall, rolling down the hill until they're a mess of entangled limbs and hair. Their faces are close for a second, breaths mingling as they take in each other's eyes. The blonde smiles, and the other girl grins back._

_Happiness is in the air._

Ruki takes one last look at Shosei before she blows out the candles. Shosei's always loved candles, for their scent, so she would always have a bunch in her room at night, before she's told to sleep. Now she's asleep anyways, all day, all night. She still looks beautiful, even in the dark.

Ruki looks around, makes sure there are no eyes to witness besides her own. Comes closer to the bed, takes Shosei's face into her hands. Her skin is still as soft as before, her hair still silky and golden blonde. It's magic that she's still in the same state as when she fell asleep. Maybe it's the flowers, or something else, but Ruki doesn't care.

Shyly, carefully, she pecks the sleeping beauty on the lips.

She continues sleeping albeit that, peacefully, emitting small breaths. Ruki smiles, bitterly. It's working too well.

"Ruki! " The servant turns around at the call of her name, and faces Junki. She's as smiley as ever. "Come here, the princess wishes to see you. "

Besides Shosei, there's another princess. She's the older one - Ren is her name - the one supposed to inherit the throne. But, she's a woman. That's a problem.

Although Ren's been pleading to be crowned for years, her father refuses. He's a man of old traditions, and Ren knows that. Although she's strong, smart, everything a proper king ( _queen_ ) is. But she's a woman, and she doesn't even love a man. The people love here, _everyone_ loves her but her father. (Ruki actually doesn't know, but she figures it, from the way they talk to each other.)

They arrive at the hall, with it's big wooden door. Ruki's barely able to push it open by herself - she's really not the strongest - but luckily, Junki's there. The guard pushes it open with ease, and closes it quietly the same way.

There's Ren, standing in front of the throne, illuminated by the light filtering through windows from all places. _She's meant to reign_ , Ruki thinks.

"Ruki, thank you for coming ", Ren speaks and turns around. "I wanted to talk to you... about Shosei. "

Ruki gulps, but straightens up. "Yes. What do you wish to discuss, princess? "

"I just... " Ren trails off. Ruki knows it, she was hit the worst with her little sister's illness (it's not an illness, Ruki knows it, but she doesn't tell anyone).

"Have you ever read the tale of Sleeping Beauty? "

"No, I haven't. ", Ruki says, and bites her lip, unconsciously.

"It's about a girl who falls into a deep slumber after being cursed, and the only cure is a kiss of the prince she loves. " Ruki nods. "Do you know- " Ren takes a step towards her, with _that_ pleading look in her eyes, "-do you know if there's- anyone? "

Ruki wants to say _me, me!_ but she knows it; that Shosei doesn't love _her_.

"No, I'm afraid. "

Ren acknowledges it with a nod, and tells Ruki that she may go. She's always... kind of cold when she's desperate like that. So Ruki bows politely, and leaves her alone in the big bright hall.

As soon as Ruki's footsteps can't be heard anymore, Junki comes up to Ren, who's lost in thoughts. "Princess, I believe she's lying. "

"Was she? ", Ren says. There's an unidentifiable tone in her voice. "Yes, princess. She behaved like someone who is. Besides, the things I've already told you about... "

"I see. Thank you, Junki. " The guard bows politely, and Ren squints her eyes at the sun shining into her face. Why, just why would Ruki lie? _To her?_

Too many questions, and too much bright light. It's blending her.

_It's deep into the night. The whole kingdom is asleep, probably, except for two souls. Two that'd find each other in that night._

_One's up in a tower, gazing at the stars out of her balcony. The other stands at the foot of it, calls up carefully, and meets her friend there, to take her away._

_Past the grass hills into the forest they sneak, careful to not be seen. They run, run away from all the eyes, the younger pulling the princess by her wrist to an unknown place, until they reach a clearing._

_"Look ", one whispers, "there are the stars, and they are so beautiful, just like you. "_

_The princess laughs, covers her mouth out of reflex, but the other one pulls it away. "Don't do that, when you're with me ", she whispers._

_The older girl smiles gently, raises the hand up to hold the other's face, strokes her brown locks out of her eyes._

_And there, under no eyes but the stars, they kiss._

Ruki knows, that Ren is probably suspecting her. Sho must've found something while cleaning her room. She's tried to hide the magic book as good as possible, but they know bow, she guesses.

She just hopes that she won't end up on a stake for... this. It's her fault, she admits it. She didn't intend to do it, but she also did, and it's just... complicated. Things in life aren't simple, especially when it comes to love.

She lets out a deep, deep sigh. It's not like she hasn't tried to lift the curse. _She can't._ No matter how much she kisses Shosei, gently, with love, she won't wake up. That' where this mess had originated from - unrequited love and Ruki's messed up feelings.

She knows, there's one who'd be able to lift the curse, but she doesn't know if she'll return ever again.

So this night, too, she blows out Shosei's candles, prays to see her shining eyes soon again and closes the door, from outside.

Dawn breaks when Shion arrives at the tower. It clears up the fog she's been fighting her way through all night - very nasty _especially_ with all the thorns, but Shion's always been a fighter. It looks beautiful, and Shion takes it as a good omen. However, she has to wait until twilight at least, because she knows that guards are there.

So she lets herself sink down at a wall in a blind spot ( _the spot she's always waited at for Shosei, she realizes_ ) and take a break.

Ruki's probably up there right now, maybe giving the princess a morning kiss, but Shion grins, knowing that Ruki's kisses do nothing. Which means, that even after almost 3 months, Shosei still feels the same way. _The same way as all those nights ago, where they kissed, giggled and gazed at the stars._

Come to think of it, the stars are the only eyes that know everything. They're always there, even at day when you can't see them - Shion's mother used to tell her that they are the eyes of the dead. She wonders if she's watching her right now, too.

Maybe that's why Shosei loved to gaze at them ( _loved? loves?_ ). She herself's said that they're all like tiny universes, universes where she maybe isn't a bird in a golden cage. A universe where she could love Shion freely and didn't have to sneak away at night.

It's really a pity that Shosei's trapped like that. She could be so much more than just a display of beauty, a thing to show off when she's a whole human. A beautiful one, and not just physically.

"Shion ", she's said one night, a whisper so quiet that it was barely even audible, "I don't wanna be here anymore. Free me. "

("I will ", Shion's promised, but then everything spiralled downwards and the next day Shosei was more trapped than ever in her small little tower.)

It's another one of those memories, that Shion remembers as vividly as nothing else, and it fills her with determination, to hold out one more night, until she can gaze at the stars in Shosei's eyes again.

_One moment she feels infinite joy, the next pure fear._

_There was a rustling. She turns around, and meets Ruki's gaze dead-on. She's standing beside a tree, face unreadable in the dark of the night. Shosei's still clinging onto Shion, looking mortified._

_She opens her mouth, trying to find the words, but there aren't any coming up. And she sees the jealousy flaming up in Ruki's eyes, turning into white hot anger._

_Shosei pushes Shion away from her, telling her with her eyes to run. And the younger does, as fast as she can. Shosei turns back to Ruki who's approaching with heavy steps. As if her feet are burning marks into the ground._

_"Ruki ", she attempts, stepping slightly backwards. Ruki looks up at her, and Shosei can't see much in the dark but the way her lips curl up into a smile, a very bitter one._

_Shion sneaks back behind some trees to check up on Shosei, and she gasps loudly when she sees the older on the ground, lifeless. Ruki's hovering over her, and Shion can only see her back, but she doesn't need to see much more._ _And she runs, far, far away._

_(Of course she doesn't see Ruki crying regrets.)_

It's a bit complicated to get up the tower.

Shion can't just walk through the castle and to Shosei, because she's guarded like a treasure chamber - so she figured out a plan. If you can call it a plan.

Basically, she's climbing up the tower (yes, an _amazing_ plan that is). Using to rose tendrils that are all over the place here. They're growing out of Shosei's window, down the tower and around it, forming the forest of thorns that Shion came through. She wonders if they'll ever bear roses.

 _Why roses, though?_ , she wonders as she climbs up. It's hard avoiding all the thorns, and when one pricks her palm she has to bite her teeth to not squeal in pain.

Maybe because it's like that. Roses are the flowers of love. They're beautiful and deep red, but they also have thorns. Love's not easy, that's well know - _and for Shosei especially_ , Shion guesses. She's a princess in a cage, has no worth besides looking pretty. Her father doesn't see her.

"Ow ", Shion hisses as she's pricked again. _It's not much further_ , she tells herself. _Hold on just a little longer._ Blood's trickling down her hands and wrists, coloring the tendrils deep red. Shion bites her lip, and goes on.

Maybe that's why roses are red.

When Shion makes up finally, she sticks her head and upper body through the window (it's open, since the roses have grown through it). When she sees what is in there, she lets out a deep, deep sigh.

"I missed you so much ", she whispers, lips curling up into a soft smile.

Shion enters the room, careful to not step on any tendrils. And there is Shosei, surrounded by all those blooming roses, more beautiful than ever. She seems ethereal even.

Shion draws closer to be able to properly see her face (it's hard to see in the dark). It's like nothing's changed after she fell asleep. Her hair's still long and golden blonde (and so _soft_ when Shion runs her fingers through it), her lips still a pretty soft pink and her cheeks still softly pale. _So soft_. Shion really wants to kiss her, now.

It's what she's here for anyways, because it's the tiny little bit of hope that she's holding onto, that her kiss can bring Shosei back awake ( _alive_ ). She just wants to see her again, hear her love, see her eyes adoring the stars.

So she cups her lover's face gently with two hands, and under whoever's eyes there are, she brings their lips together.

Shosei's lips taste like cherry and everything sweet, a taste Shion's missed. Moreover, they're _so warm_ , the only warmth in that entire cold tower, castle, probably.

Shion takes a step back, looks at Shosei again, how she's laying there so peacefully. Then, a tear rolls down Shion's cheek. She smiles bitterly.

"I hope I could reach you, one last time. "

And just like that, she's out of the window.

_Shion's just in front of her. Looking at her with yearning eyes, 'please come back to me ' they say, but Shosei can't move. She's in a cage so tiny, she can barely breathe._

_She wants to cry, scream, bang her fist against the golden bars trapping her. Wants to hold out her hand to Shion, reach her. But she can't. She can't._

_Shion takes a step towards her. One more, one more. Shosei's eyes widen, her mouth agape. And in the moment their fingertips touch, she feels warmth_.

_But suddenly, even before she can smile, it's cold again. Everything blurs into colors of all kinds, they mix with each other, and then, it's black._

Shosei's awake.

She's staring at the ceiling, hasn't moved a centimetre yet. Only blinked her eyes twice.

Then, with the chirps of the morning birds, she realizes.

And the first thing Shosei does, is cry.

It's silent crying, as to not wake up anyone, to not make anyone notice that she's awake. She doesn't know how long it's been. She only knows that it's been a long, long time.

A nearby flattering of feathers pulls her out of her silent sobbing. Shosei carefully stands up. Her legs haven't forgotten how to walk yet, luckily. She looks up to the window, and there's a dispatch eagle.

It's a note, and as soon as she reads who it's from, she almost drops it out of joy.

_"Dear Shosei,_ _I hope this reaches you, and only you. As soon as you read this, climb through the window and run through the thorn forest. It has the same layout as the original forest. Meet me beneath the place of the stars._

 _With love,_ _Shion "_

Tears drip down Shosei's chin, and they're tears of joy. She looks behind her as if to check for a person that isn't there, before she finally leaves.

The problem is, there is someone there.

Shosei looks at the servant, he looks back. His eyes widen, and he storms out of the door.

"PRINCESS SHOSEI IS AWAKE!! "

She herself covers her ears. Her head's still a bit confused. Then she looks around in slight panic. She doesn't want to deal with this. Doesn't want to talk to any of the people here right now. She just wants to run.

She grasps Shion's note tightly, sets her jaw, and makes her way to the window. There's only the tendrils of the roses from her room to hold on, but Shosei doesn't care. If that's her way into freedom, then it'll be.

She makes her way down as fast as possible, even if it hurts, even if the thorns prick her. She's been shy for long enough. Shion had to always drag her along; now it's her time. To act on her own. _'cause that's the first step towards freedom '_ , she recalls Shion saying.

When she reaches the ground, she dusts off her hands, and runs. Into the forest of thorns. A bush catches her dress and it rips here and there, but she goes on. Closes her eyes, bites her teeth, and _runs_. Because that's all she can do.

And in the very moment she enters the forest of thorns, roses bloom.

Fresh roses, in all the shades of red, each one by one. They make the grey of the thorn bushes fade into bright green, as if it came alive again, with its princess running through it.

And as she reaches the spot, she also sees Shion, shouts her name as tears start falling.

She shouts the princess' name back, almost mockingly, for her having taken so long. It's just another of Shion' antics, and Shosei grins, starting to dash towards the love of her life.

The younger catches her by the waist as she almost runs her over, lifts her up and Shosei feels like she's flying, so freely. Tears drop down, melting together with the ones on Shion's cheeks, and they laugh, so happily.

Their noses brush, and after 2 long grey months, they kiss again, under the light of the sun, as all the flowers around them begin to bloom.

_Epilogue._

When Ruki reaches Shosei's room she's not there anymore. Only messed up sheets, and the open window.

Ruki lets out a deep, deep sigh, and smiles. It's kinda happy, kinda sad. But mostly she's happy, because Shosei's alive again, and probably with Shion now. _Free._

That's all Ruki wants for Shosei, after all. Because this castle treats her like shit, she's better off free. In the end, that matters more than Ruki's heart. It's broken, she admits. But she'll cope with it. She'll heal, someday.

She cries a silent tear, before she wipes it away and walks out of the room.

(Somewhere else, far away off the castle there's two girls sitting on a grassy hill, giggling and kissing as they gaze at the stars together.

 _"I missed the stars, look, they're so beautiful. "_ , one whispers, _"Even more here, so far away from that awful castle. "_ Thee other's running her fingers through her long blonde hair, and shakes her head. The blonde makes an offended, comical look, and they laugh out loud.

 _"No, you're more beautiful "_ , the other says, _"' 'cause you've got all these beautiful stars in your eyes. "_ )

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Please leave a comment or find me on [ cc ](https://curiouscat.qa/Shoseilover) or [ twt ](https://twitter.com/shoseilovemail)


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